Supernatural - Vampire Days
by Orlii
Summary: What happens when the Winchester brothers discover a remote town? What about when this town has a vampire living in it?
1. Chapter 1 - Hidden Away

An engine roared down an empty highway, bordered on each side by nothing but trees. The black car moved swiftly along the road, the yellow lines passing quickly by the tires. Led Zeppelin blared from the stereo and the driver was singing as if he were the front man, drumming on the steering wheel and banging his head. His passenger was sitting back looking at a small laptop screen, running a hand through his thick hair occasionally and barely paying any attention to the driver. This was a normal evening for the two men. They had been riding together in this car since they were kids and the car bore the markings of that. The brothers traveled together so much that anything either of them did was not surprising to the other. This was just the life of a Winchester. Sam and Dean spent their lives following their father around hunting creatures, saving people, and searching for revenge for the demon that had killed their loved ones. The two of them had lost many people along the way and maybe they even hoped their lives were different at times, but neither of them could imagine anything different these days. The two of them were traveling to a small town in Alabama that not many people had heard of, they were not even really aware of it. It was considered a well kept secret. Meredith was one of those little towns made up of beautiful southern homes surrounding a main square that was mostly small businesses and a farmers market. This was a place where some well-to-do people came to live for the peace and quiet. But, the brothers learned that this was also a place of supernatural significance - there were plenty of non humans living there, or so the rumors said. Someone had given them a tip that there was a vampire living in the town that was threatening the locals, so they set out to discover what was happening. The town wasn't in the news and they didn't advertise much, it was almost as if they were a small private community that outsiders were not welcome to know about. It wasn't even on a map.

Dean noticed the private road they were told about and turned down it - that was one way to hide a town. Most people did not travel up private roads unless they lived on one.

"So, how weird is this?" Dean asked as they drove along the narrow road.

"Some people don't like big cities. But, then again, you never know what we'll find here either." Sam responded, still playing on his laptop. He had tried downloading some information on the town, but he had found very little except the fact that the town was founded in 1850 as a small farming community around a plantation home. Not much else was recorded - not even anyone that lived there had been listed.

The small road opened up to a larger square lined by small shops as well as roads leading out to the homes in this small community. Sam looked out over the square as they passed through, a woman in what looked to be black dress slacks, a white blouse, and a black sun hat was sitting on a bench. She looked up from the book she was reading and tilted her sunglasses down, eyeing the Impala as it passed by. Sam had the odd feeling that something was strange about her and about this town. Dean noticed other people stopping to look at them as well. They obviously didn't get very many newcomers, and when they did it seemed to be a big event.

He pulled the Impala over at a curb and turned off the engine. People went from staring at them to going about their business as usual.

"This place is weird." Dean grumbled as he looked over at Sam, who raised his eyebrows and nodded his head in agreement.

"Do we even know where to start?" Sam asked as he closed his laptop and shoved it into its bag.

"Well, we can start by getting lunch." His brother responded as he noticed a small diner, his mind now set on one thing. Sam and Dean left the Impala and moved across the square to the diner, a bell tinkling softly as they pushed open the door.

"Well, hi there. How can I help you boys?" An old woman from behind the counter asked, a warm smile on her face and a southern drawl pouring like honey from her mouth. She definitely looked like the grandmotherly type.

Dean and Sam sat at the counter, picking up menus as they were placed in front of them.

"I'll have the Porky Plate, coffee, and a slice of that amazing looking pie over there." Dean said giving her a smile as he handed his menu over to her.

"Salad, please, and a water." Sam decided, Dean looking at him obviously offended by the rabbit food his brother was eating.

"Sure thing, sweetie." The old woman said with a small tilt of her head and a smile still. Southern charm at its finest.

After she had gone from earshot, Dean said, "We don't have a long life expectancy, so why are you wasting time eating grass?"

Sam looked at him and laughed.

"I'd like to try to lengthen my life expectancy a little bit. Don't want to die of clogged arteries." He retorted as he shook his head and pulled the laptop from his bag once more. He felt this was a pointless endeavor, but he was trying to find out some more information about the town. Sam searched until their food came.

"Excuse me." He chimed as she laid plates down in front of them.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me where we are and maybe a bit about it? We've never been to a town like this."

"Well, sweetie, y'all're in Meredith. It's quite an old town founded by some well-to-do folks that wanted to give farmers a chance without havin' to put out too much money for their own property." She said as she wiped down some glasses from behind the counter. "You won't find its history written down anywhere, neither. Ain't much outsiders know. If you really want the juicy details of the town, I would go find Mercy Cole. Her family was one of the first farmin' families here."

"Thank you very much." Sam said with a smile as he began to write down Mercy Cole on a napkin. "Can you tell us where we can find her?"

"There's a small road connected to the square, not the one that y'all came in on." She responded. "It's the only other road in town, everything else is pretty much connected by smaller walkways. Just jaunt up there and it's the house up the hill, Mercy likes to overlook the community. She has a very nice view from way on up there." She had pointed an old, wrinkled finger out the window toward the shaded road. Gnarled oak trees lined the road all the way up to the old home. Dean looked out the window and could see the roof and a portion of the top floor from where he sat.

"She doesn't mind guests, has them all the time." The woman soon added before collecting their empty plates and hobbling off.

Mercy Cole had removed herself from the bench she was perched on when the Impala rolled into town. There weren't many newcomers that happened into town, so she began her way back home to try to prepare for visitors - they would ultimately find their way to her home. She knew this only because she had told the woman working the diner to do that if people came around asking a lot of questions. Mercy had plenty of people visiting her, many of whom felt lost as soon as they entered the town, because of her line of work. Over the years she had developed a very broad knowledge of supernatural artifacts and, because of this, she was able to create a thriving business from appraising the objects that collectors (and hunters) acquired.

Once she was home she removed her hat and the pins from her thick, chestnut colored hair - it fell gracefully over her shoulders and down her back. Looking down at her clothes, she ran her hands down the thighs of her tight black pants to straighten them out and then adjusted her flowing white blouse making sure it was tucked in appropriately.

Some time had passed and twilight was looming over the town before her doorbell rang through the house. The brothers stood on her front porch, which was quite large and wrapped around a portion of the house. There were a few rocking chairs as well as plants hanging in several places around the porch. It was a nice place to have a glass of sweet tea once in awhile.

Sam and Dean's ears perked up at the sound of high heels clicking through the entryway toward the door, they could see a blurry figure through the decorative glass in the dark wooden door just before it slowly opened.

"May I help you?" She questioned, her manicured brows raised just slightly and a small smile on her red lips. Dean eyed her for a moment before his brain finally began responding.  
"Yes, we aren't familiar with the town and we were directed to a Mercy Cole." He said, remembering the name that Sam had written down.

"I am she and you were directed to the right place." She said, moving aside from the door and allowing the two brothers to step through. Mercy directed them through to her sunroom, it looked to be an old glass greenhouse that she had converted to a sitting room. It was filled with green plants, some of which were flowering and had a very fragrant smell. Dean looked around, as did Sam, before taking a seat in a cushioned chair near a small coffee table. Mercy had approached a bar which was situated against a wall, crystal glasses and several glass bottles lined the shelves.

"Drink?" She asked, holding out an unlabeled bottle.

"Yes, please." Dean answered as he made himself comfortable.

"So, Ms. Cole, what can you tell us about Meredith?" Sam asked as he watched her pour drinks.

"Please, just call me Mercy." She said with a smile as she walked over with their drinks.

"As far as Meredith, I can tell you everything. Even the juiciest details. What would you like to hear?"

"Everything." Dean said with a charming smile just before sipping at the whiskey she had given him.

"The town was founded in 1850 as a community of farmers and other tradesmen. The family was led by a very stern gentleman by the name of Jansen and his wife Meredith. Their grown children lived with them along with their wives. There were no children to speak of at the time. Meredith was the one that dreamed of helping others and after she passed her husband started the community to honor her memory. Now, he passed and eventually their sons took over the town. It flourished at the time." She took a moment to sip at her own drink.

"Now, about a decade later, some of the townsfolk found out some nasty information regarding their leaders. The head family quickly took an iron fist approach and squashed any mention of misdeeds on their part. Rumor had it that the family had been killing locals and saying they had moved from their community elsewhere. Not many people left, but when they did people noticed and began to try to figure out what happened - especially since most of these moves happened overnight without word to anyone else. The Cole family, my family, remained faithful to the community until one night when the people tried to rise up against the leadership once more later that same year. This led to a lot of bloodshed. Out of my ancestors, only three survived. One was Alexandria Cole, the matriarch; the second, was Mercy Cole - my namesake; and third was Josiah Cole, the eldest of the children who was in the northeast at the time attending law school. The other three children- Deacon, Marston, and Jonah - and the patriarch, Elijah, were all killed in the massacre that occurred in October of 1870. Mercy and her mother had both escaped. Some time later, descendants of those who had escaped Meredith returned to rebuild the community."

Mercy had given them a more limited version of the story of Meredith, there were a lot of details she left out because it might lead to more questions that she didn't want to answer, especially when the ones who were asking were strangers to her. As she looked them over and examined their movements, even their smells, she began to realize they were probably hunters - which disconcerted her somewhat. Why were there hunters in town that she did not know or have business with? Something wasn't right, but she kept these feelings hidden as she sipped at her drink once more.

"That's a pretty bad history. Why did people choose to come back?" Sam asked as he set his empty glass on a small round end table.

"I guess it was all about getting back to their roots, maybe making it better than what it was." She responded with a slight shrug as looked toward them with her amber eyes.

"It looks like it is getting late. There's a bed and breakfast in town if the two of you would like to stick around." She gave them a warm smile and put her empty glass down.

As Mercy walked away, Sam and Dean followed her to the door where they said their goodbyes.

The Winchesters soon arrived at the small bed and breakfast, it was a cozy little white house with a few rooms that were rented out. They had unloaded their things into the two bed room and Dean immediately flopped down onto the soft bed, the thick covers trying to envelope him.

"What did you think of her?" Sam asked.

"She was definitely good looking, that's for sure." He laughed.

"No, that's not what I meant, Dean."

Dean simply laughed at Sam for a moment. He knew what his brother was after.

"Something is off. I feel like someone isn't telling us something." He replied after regaining his composure, his eyes closed as he continued to lay on the bed.

"If there is a vampire here, I haven't seen any signs of one. I mean, don't they usually live in family groups?"

"Yeah. That's what I was just thinking about. Maybe our information was wrong."

Sam nodded his head as he looked out the window in thought, before he knew it Dean was snoring. He fell asleep on the bed, his arms splayed out and his legs hanging off the bed with his feet touching the floor. He hadn't even gotten his boots off. Sam wished he had that easy of a time falling asleep, there was just too much on his mind right now. He laid down in his bed and stared at the ceiling until he finally drifted off to sleep some time later.


	2. Chapter 2 - New Information

Sam had woken early the next day, retrieving coffee for himself and his brother. When he entered their room again, Dean rolled over with a groggy look of confusion on his face as he tried to focus his eyes on Sam. As soon as he saw the cup of coffee, he perked up and snatched it away from his brother.

"Well, good morning to you too." Sam muttered as he sat himself down at a small table where his laptop was set up.

"Would you rather me not have coffee?" Dean grumbled after taking a few sips.

Sam could only try to stifle a laugh as he began to research Meredith again.

"Sam, you know that's not going to help you any if you are looking up what I think you're looking up." He noted as he wandered over to the table as well.

"You never know. I just feel like there's something someone isn't telling us." He was referring to Mercy.

Dean thought for a moment as he sipped at his coffee, it was way too early in the morning for this.

"I doubt she was telling us everything. I mean, I didn't even get her number." He laughed before he noticed a note had slid soundlessly beneath the door. He tilted his head and stared at it for a moment.

"What?" Sam asked before following his brother's gaze down toward the tan carpet. Dean walked toward the small piece of paper and all it said, in neat cursive handwriting, was 'Breakfast, Cole home, half hour'. He looked over to Sam with a smile on his face.

"Looks like we get to go have breakfast with Ms. Cole." He waved the paper back and forth, Sam rolling his eyes as he closed his laptop.

The boys had managed to get ready and out of the room before lunch time, having moseyed up the path toward Mercy's somewhat large home.

"I wonder why she wants to eat breakfast with us." Sam muttered to no one in particular as they rang the bell. Footsteps soon followed and the door swung open, revealing Mercy dressed in a pastel flowery printed bell sleeve blouse that was untied at the collar, letting it hang open revealing her collar bone. A flowy white layered skirt scraped the ground barely revealing the sandals she was wearing. Her hair was tied into a bun, tendrils of her brown hair draping her face.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I'm glad to see you accepted my invitation." She said as she swept to the side and allowed them to enter. Sam and Dean followed her prompting into the house, but Sam noticed that none of the curtains were open allowing in the sunlight. It was odd, most people opened there curtains or blinds, maybe even their windows, on a nice day like this. She led them to her living room where she served them coffee in nice little tea cups and had muffins, croissants, and other breakfast items laid out before them.

"So, you must be wondering why I requested you." Mercy said after having taking a couple sips of her morning coffee. She seemed to look oddly tired to Sam. Dean had been so focused on her looks that it took him awhile to notice the windows, as well as her current state.

"Well, it was a very nice gesture, but we are wondering why." Sam soon spoke up after examining her for a moment. She could feel the tension in the room building, they were beginning to question her. Mercy knew this had to have been a mistake, but she needed to find out more about why they were here. She breathed a small sigh and gave a smile, taking in the smell of the hunters before her. Most hunters smelled alike - cheap hotel rooms, leather seats, and blood.

"I know what you two are. Hunters, to be exact." She began, the two of them immediately forgetting the hunger they had developed. "Yes, that's right. I know what you are, I know there are spooky things that go bump in the night, but what I don't know is exactly why you two are here."

Dean cleared his throat and thought for a moment, removing all thoughts of how pretty she was from his mind rather quickly - he was in business mode now.

"Well, that escalated quickly." He said bluntly as he leaned forward onto his knees. "We're here because we heard about something here in town. But, before we give you any information, how do you know about this stuff?"

"Let's just say it's the family business to know." She responded, a brow raised as she eyed him for a moment.

Sam looked at her in slight understanding, although there was a bit of confusion thrown in there as well.

"We heard about a vampire that was killing people here." Sam interjected after a few moments, breaking the silence that had been created.

Mercy looked shocked at the idea that a vampire was in town killing people.

"I can assure you that there is no vampire in this town killing people." She responded, truth blatantly written upon her face. At least, partial truth.

"So, there's not vampire then?" Sam asked, this led to another moment of silence. Mercy had tilted her head and looked off to the side down at the floor.

She could lie, but she knew seasoned hunters were good at detecting that sort of thing.

Dean leaned a little further in and was eyeing her from across the table as she sat in her arm chair.

"What do you know?" He asked as he looked deep into her with his eyes.  
"I know the vampire in town isn't killing people." She soon let loose looking at them with a stern look. "They don't drink human blood."

Sam and Dean looked at one another for a moment, almost as if they were speaking to one another telepathically. They were not sure if they could believe her, but it was a lot to take in this early in the morning too.

"So, you're telling us, that there is a vampire in town and they don't kill people. Correct?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Dean soon chimed in.

"I just know, okay?" She jabbed back at them, her lips pursing a little.

"So, I'm gonna take a guess and say this vampire is some friend of yours and you're not willing to give them up. Or, maybe you don't actually know they're killing people and they are telling you they aren't. Which is it?" Dean spoke swiftly as if trying to get her to break.

"None of the above." Mercy growled back, her eyes narrowing.

"I see." Sam muttered, his mouth partially open and his eyes narrowed at her. He knew who the vampire was, he had figured it out. It was Mercy Cole. He knew there was something about her that wasn't quite right, they had even been given the condensed version of the towns history - if it was the correct history anyway.

"You're the vampire." He said aloud, Dean pulling himself back having not come to that conclusion yet himself.

He looked from Sam to Mercy quickly as he was calculating moves he should make in his head depending on her reaction.

Mercy was still and cold at this answer, her teeth were clenched.

"Yes." She finally responded, her jaw stiff as she gave her answer. "I am. What? Going to kill me now?"

"Why shouldn't we? We were told you were killing people here in town." Dean said.

"I don't know who told you that, but no one has died here from anything other than bad health or old age."

"Dean, we can't rule out what she's saying. We don't even know who gave us that tip in the first place."

Dean sighed and leaned back in his seat, but he still had an edge to him as if he were ready to pounce at any moment.

"I don't drink human blood. I did one time a long, long time ago. But that was it." She said as she looked down to the floor, almost as if she were remembering that day with a sense of remorse.

"If you want us to believe you, we need you to tell us the truth." Sam said in a calm tone. That was what Sam was good at, he was always so calm and caring for those around him.

"I only told you part of the story of Meredith, the rest of it is really long."

"We have time." Dean muttered.

"The year was 1850, Meredith, Alabama." She began, "The main house was a large Victorian home painted pastel blue and white. It sat amongst large oak trees and a stone path led from the front steps, went around a circular pond, and down through the middle of the town that had sprung up around the home. Farmers and other blue collar workers had found themselves traveling from far and wide to be able to live on the large property that was made open to them. They didn't have to pay a single penny to move there either. William Jansen, the owner of the property, was fulfilling his wife's dying wish - to create a place where people could come and live with no worries or cares. Everyone would share what they produced and live happily together. Mr. Jansen lived with his two adult children, Thomas and Noah, along with their wives. He had a large, loving family who were supporting him in making Meredith a possibility."

"Now, after some time, Mr. Jansen had passed away leaving the estate to his sons and their families. They did a wonderful job running the town. I was born in 1861, so I am quite old compared to you two. My father, Elijah Cole, had moved to the town with his wife, my mother, Alexandria Cole. At the time they had moved to Meredith they had already had my oldest brother, Josiah. He was followed by three other boys and then myself. Having several older brothers, I turned out to be quite the tom boy. Anyway, by the time I was 9, several things had happened in Meredith that I didn't know about until much later. "

"Noah Jansen had married a very beautiful woman and she just seemed to never age, then he began to stop aging. His brother and his wife followed suit. None of them ever had children that we knew of, but their family seemed to grow. This was kept quiet by the townsfolk because they were offered such a good opportunity by living in the town. Soon, strange rules were developed, such as never being out after dark; if you received an injury, it needed to be treated immediately and then you were to return home until you were well. There were more, but my memory is a little fuzzy on those details. After some time, people noticed that some of their neighbors had gone missing. This was a small town, so it was too noticeable if someone just disappeared. We were all told that they had decided to seek opportunity elsewhere and moved, but we knew better. These people were our friends, some were even family at this point. By the time I was 9, a lot of the people were unhappy with the situation and expressed this to the Jansen family - it wasn't well received."

"In October of 1871, one of the most horrific memories of mine was made. I was out in the field with a friend of mine, Jonathan, when my mother ran and snatched me up. I heard blood curdling screams coming from all around. Jonathan had ran off after I was taken away and I didn't see him for a long time after that. My mother shoved me under the floorboards of our house in a safe area, but not before I noticed there was blood outside and inside our home. I remember it all as a blur, bodies everywhere, people panicking and screaming. My mother hid in the crawl space with me and when the commotion died down we quickly made our escape on one of our horses. We never looked back. My father and three of my brothers died that night. My mother, myself, and my oldest brother who was off at law school in the northeast were spared by sheer luck.

In that time, my mother became bent on revenge having found out what had happened. She found a group of vampire hunters in the west and they took us in, fed us, trained us, they became like a second family."

"Then, one day, when I was 25, my mother was injured while we were raiding a vampire nest. The town closest to us was one like Meredith - held under the control of vampires. The doctor wouldn't treat her because he was being funded, and threatened, by the vampires and had gotten word to him before we made it there. No one would treat her and there was nowhere else to go nearby. She suffered for two weeks as infection set in. She died not long after. Me, being strong willed as I was, let all my anger, hatred, and sadness brew for awhile. I found myself back in Alabama and quite full of whiskey. I was going to go back to the source of the problem that was our lives. But, seeing as I was drunk, I didn't make it very far. I entered town and kicked down the door to the main house and, unfortunately for me, found that it was still a full nest. They captured me and instead of killing me, because that would be too easy on me, they decided to do something even worse. They turned me. So, here I am now. I am living where the main house used to be, I drink animal blood to survive, and I have a very lucrative job appraising supernatural artifacts."

When Mercy was finally done telling her story, she looked over at the boys who had been very quiet through the whole thing. It was something she hated reliving.

"Wow." Sam muttered as he looked to her, sincerity filling his eyes. "So, you used to be a hunter, like us?"

"Yes. I did. But, I did something stupid and all of that was taken away from me."

Dean remained somewhat quiet and contemplative about the whole situation. He usually wasn't this quiet. Upon hearing what she had to say, it made him reflect on who they were and what they were doing with their lives. It just reassured him of what the outcomes of their job could be. It was either you died doing what you could to save others or you died becoming what you were used to killing. There was no old age for them. Even if Mercy had "lived" this long, it wasn't really living. She had been killed a long time ago, she was just stuck roaming the Earth as what she loathed the most.

"I don't kill people. I only killed one person and that is something I have to live with for the rest of my eternity." She said solemnly.

"Who did you kill?" Dean asked suddenly.

Mercy looked up at Dean, she didn't anticipate being asked that.

"One of my friends, the man I loved, Jonathan." She said, reminiscing. "He was six years older than myself when the town was ravaged and he disappeared. We met again when I was 18, he had taken up hunting as well and we ran into one another. We spent every so often together, but it wasn't that much. Our time was fleeting, I guess."

She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, her teeth clenching.

"Sorry." She cleared her throat. "After I was captured and turned, I woke up chained in a cellar and there he was. He had been beaten and captured as well. I think he had found out what I had done and was coming after me. I was a vampire who was refusing to eat, so I looked horrible. He urged me to feed. To feed on him. He begged and pleaded for a long time. Finally, he said that it was either me that killed him or the vampires upstairs - I knew they would keep him for weeks before finally ending it. I was the fastest way out because no one else was coming, no one else wanted to come with him. He approached me and that was the end. All I could do was sit there and hold him until they came down to release me, thinking I had finally decided to join them. I didn't. I slaughtered them." Her voice was cold and full of malice. "I slaughtered them and I enjoyed every minute of it."

Dean knew what that level of hatred felt like, he spent years of his life hunting the thing that had killed his family. He spent decades killing monsters, so did Sam. They both knew.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. Did he have any family?" Sam asked.

Mercy looked from Sam to Dean, taking a moment to remember Jonathan's face. She could see him clear as day, she could see him looking at her right now because Dean was almost an identical image of what Jonathan Winchester would have looked like as he had gotten older.

"He had siblings who made it out of the town also, went on to have families of their own. His family line is still kicking it seems." She said as she looked off to the side.

"It must be strange getting to see their descendants." Dean noted.  
She looked over to Dean, her eyes were filled with sadness as she examined him. Mercy looking at Dean this way made him feel like there was something more to Jonathan, something related to them.

"What was his last name?" He soon asked.

Mercy hesitated before saying, "It's not important."

"So, you've said you haven't had human blood since then. We received this saying there was a vampire here threatening people." Sam said as he handed over a folded piece of paper over the coffee table to Mercy. She examined it and the handwriting seemed familiar, but she just couldn't place it.

"I know this handwriting for some reason, but I'm not quite sure where I have seen it before." She noted as he continued to look at it. She brought the paper to her nose and she noticed a smell of roses. It had obviously been sprayed with something because there was something artificial about the smell as well.

"It smells like roses. It must have been sprayed to cover up their scent." She said as she examined it once more before handing it back to Sam.

"Sounds like someone wanted us to do their dirty work." Dean stated bluntly as he looked over to her sternly. "Do you have any enemies?"

Mercy simply laughed at this, a smile spread across her face revealing her white teeth. But, it was the type of smile that didn't convey happiness, it was as if she couldn't believe they were dumb enough o ask that question. It was as if they should have realized she had enemies.

"I'm a vampire. I was a hunter. I appraise supernatural artifacts for large sums of money. I am very sure that I have enemies." She responded looking at them as if they should have gathered all of that for themselves.

Dean thought she really had some nerve responding like that, it reminded him of himself. He could only chuckle lightly and shake his head in disbelief.

"If someone is after you, then it's not safe here for you." Sam chimed in after a few moments of thought.

"Where is safe for me?" She asked and looked at him, her head titled slightly to the side with her eyes narrowed. "I haven't lived this long without learning that nowhere is safe for creatures like me."

She seemed so blunt about this. Sam noticed that she didn't seem to have genuine emotions as far as happiness was concerned, even when they first met she had a fake, corporate smile on her face. The way she looked at people even felt predatory at times.

"If you think of anything, you know where you can find us." Dean said as he stood, realizing it was probably time to go.

"You don't have to stay. I am sure I can handle this myself." She responded as she crossed her arms.

"You say that, but we are involved in this whether you like it or not." He responded rather firmly.

"If you insist. I can at least make sure your stay is a pleasant one. You can either stay at the inn or you can stay in my home."

The brothers looked at one another before looking around her home. There was something about staying with a vampire that left Dean a little uncomfortable - he was trying to be more open to the idea of monsters still being a little human.

"We can stay at the inn. Thank you, though. We don't want to cause you any trouble." Sam said politely as he also stood up. Mercy nodded in understanding and walked them to the door.

"I hope we don't see each other in worse circumstances." She said, a lack of emotion written on her face. The goodbye she gave them was a little odd, but Sam was figuring it was the best she could do. He had a theory he was working through in his head and he would bring it up to Dean later.

[[I hope everyone has enjoyed my second chapter. I will post as often as I can! Please feel free to leave comments and such. I love Supernatural, so if anyone has any suggestions on other fanfiction I can read myself, please let me know! Feel free to message me if you would like to chat any!]]


	3. Chapter 3 - What Happens In Meredith

Sam was sitting in the corner of the nice room they were in, his foot was sitting on his knee leaving his leg partially crossed. He had his laptop in front of him as he sat in the comfortable armchair.

"Who would have sent that letter?" He questioned to no one in particular.

Dean was sitting on the end of the bed cleaning his gun, his eyes intent on what he was doing.

"There's no telling." He muttered back as he checked the barrel of his gun.

Sam shook his head, his brother was no help, but he knew that Dean was thinking about it in his own way. He began to run the information about Mercy through his mind. They knew that she made her living by appraising supernatural artifacts and that she has lived for over one-hundred years, at least. But, what else did they know about her? She had a longer story to tell and he knew that. She only talked about the first twenty-five years of her own life, but what about her eternity so far?

"Dean, I feel like she hasn't told us something." He said as he closed his laptop and looked over to his brother.

Dean was just staring down at his gun now, the gears in his head were turning and Sam could see that.

She had to have had something go wrong in her life that has caused some sort of retaliation against her.

"Someone wants her taken care of." He muttered as he looked over his gun once more. There had to be more of an explanation and he was going to find out.

"If we're going to be involved in this, I need more information. I'm not going to risk our necks for some vampire who created her own problems." Dean said harshly, getting tired of being in this small town with no other leads than some vampire chick who is acting all high and mighty as if she owned the town. "I need something." He stood after putting his gun back together and putting it at the small of his back.

"Well, don't go doing anything stupid." Sam called after him as he watched his brother leave the room.

Dean threw on his jacket and walked down the street, his hands tucked neatly in his pocket. He soon noticed their favorite undead woman and followed after her. She was wearing a pair of bellbottom jeans, a bell sleeved shirt, as well as a pair of wedges and a sun hat. Mercy was often seen around town, day and night, but she was always covered up as much as she could be. Even if the sun was something she could be in, she felt nothing but the burning of her skin if she was out too long without being covered. Mercy quickly caught Dean's scent, but she didn't let on that she knew he was there. He continued to trail after her, leaving a distance between them so as not to give himself away. He seemed to forget that once a vampire catches someone's scent they can track it for life. Mercy turned the corner and walked into the local butcher, her white teeth revealed as she smiled at the butcher.

"Hello there, Markus." She greeted cheerily. It was always a good day when she was out shopping, she usually received a fresh stock of blood. "The usual please."

"Why, of course!" He said happily as he began to pull meat from the glass case and pack it up for her. He moved to the back room and brought a few wine bottles filled with a dark liquid and bagged those up for her as well.

Dean watched wearily through the window, realizing this was the man that was supplying her with her blood. Was she having him do her dirty work or was it animal blood? He would need to ask him a few questions.

"By the way, there is a hunter out there watching what we are doing right now. If he has any questions, just answer them honestly. I don't want anything happening to you on account of a misunderstanding." Mercy said as she paid for her groceries and left, giving the butcher a little wave as she walked out the door. Markus looked over toward the window and saw a man walking toward the door while watching Mercy walk out. She tried to make her time in the sun as short as she could, so she headed directly for her home.

"How can I help you today?" Markus asked, his blue eyes focused on Dean.

Dean approached and saw the man a little more clearly now, the lettering on the windows and Mercy had blocked his view of him previously. He had thick dark hair and a clean shaven face - he looked like an upstanding citizen.

"I was just wondering about the young woman who was in here a few minutes ago." Dean answered as he approached the counter by the register.

"Ah, she said someone would come around asking questions." Markus started as he leaned against the counter. "What do you want to know?"

Dean looked perplexed for a moment and then it was like someone had turned on a light in his brain. She obviously knew he was following her, he should have known better.

"Well, I saw you giving her a supply of blood. Where does it come from?"

"That's animal blood. We get animals in that we slaughter for people and the blood would generally go to waste. We have a vampire in town who is more than willing to take care of that for us though."

"So, you know she's a vampire, then?"

"Yeah. We have all kinds of strange people here in town. But, most everyone here is harmless."

"So, no one is out killing people or anything like that?"

"Well, no. Not that I've noticed anyway. The people in this town come here to get away from life in the rest of the world, they try to live as peacefully as they can."

"But, you all still have problems from time to time, don't you?"

"It has been some time since we had any issues here. The people here are usually pretty quick to take care of it. We like our peace and quiet."

"I see." Dean said, still a little baffled by how a town like this could exist.

"We haven't seen any hunters here for business in awhile. Well, not for hunting type business anyway. They come in from time to time to ask about different objects and such, but that's about it." Markus soon added as he noticed Dean's expression.

"Well, thanks for the cooperation." He said, tapping the counter with his fingers for a moment before turning to leave. He made it half way to the door before he turned and looked at the butcher, who had yet to take his eyes off Dean.

"So, are you human or…?" He trailed off. Markus merely smiled and looked down a moment. Dean could tell that the man was debating whether or not to tell him.

"I'm a werewolf, but I haven't harmed a soul in awhile." He said with a smile on his face. Dean felt that there was something else to this man, but he simply nodded his head and left.

After Dean had left his shop, Markus's face dropped into a grimace and his eyes were less cheerful. He walked to the back and growled under his breath. He disliked hunters, but he disliked vampires even more. He hated serving some of the people here, but he just had to wait a little longer before he made his move. He paced back and forth for a moment before walking to the front door, flipping the sign from "open" to "closed". Markus walked into the back room and to his office, a little more agitated than usual. The sight of hunters and vampires being in so much contact with one another annoyed him, Mercy talking to him like she owned the place angered him. She needed to be taught a lesson.

Markus wasn't always this way. As a natural werewolf, he was born into a family of werewolves who have been around for generations. They kept to themselves for a long time, until one of his relatives was murdered by a vampire. His family was a pack and they were always together. Every time they told stories, there was one story that always came up and it was to teach the children the family history, but it was also to teach them to hate vampires. At least, to hate a very specific vampire. Markus was more loving toward everyone when he was younger, until he heard this story over and over again. Markus's great uncle had a few children, but one was particularly loved by his father. They entered into their twenties and his father was beginning to settle down with a family while some of the other young ones were traveling, learning about the world and finding mates for themselves as well. His father's cousin fell in love with a woman who had been alive for quite sometime, turns out she was a vampire. The story he was told ended in tragedy - his father's beloved cousin was killed by this vampire for no reason other than she wanted him dead. She was done with him and had no use for him anymore. This story taught him that no one could be trusted, that he needed to hate those different than him and he has never been told differently. Markus's siblings and parents felt the same way as well. He decided, instead of finding a mate, that he would hunt down the woman responsible. His family told him this vampire was named Mercy, it was a name they would never forget because she had no mercy on their family.

Markus had kept this all quiet, acting as if he were a perfect member of the community. He made "friends" and even associated himself with Mercy as closely as he could. One day his plan will come to fruition and should lead to the death of the vampire.

"That note should have worked. Most hunters would come in here, kill monsters, and leave. They haven't done that." He growled angrily, his fists clenched until his knuckles were white. He had sent out the tip about a vampire in town that was harming the residents. How could he have known they weren't going to be the shoot first, ask questions later types.

What Markus told Dean was entirely true, every word of it. He even revealed that he wasn't human himself and all the hunter did was turn and walk off. That was something that was bothering him.

He had started throwing stuff around his office, sweeping his arms over his desk and pushing everything off as hard as he could. Markus stopped and breathed heavily for a moment, deciding tonight needed to be the night that he worked to destroy everything Mercy was or would ever be.

After take a few deep breathes and straightening himself up again, he sat down and picked up his phone. Markus hesitated a few moments and then dialed Mercy's number. They had known each other for several years and he acted as if he had fancied her in some way. She answered the phone after looking at the number for a moment, finally remembering who it belonged to.

"Hello?" She said in as nice a voice as she could muster.

"Hi, Mercy!" He said, playing as if he were happy.

"Oh, hi there, Markus. How can I help you?" She asked as she put her groceries away.

"I was wondering, if…" He trailed off, acting as if he were nervous to ask. "If, well, maybe you and I could have dinner this evening? Just us. Together."

Mercy was really good at acting these days. She gave a small giggle over the phone as if she were somewhat excited about the thought.

"Of course! Why don't you come to the house? We can cook together." She said.

"Sounds great!" Markus replied as if he were excited by her answer. After a moment of chatter back and forth about who would hang up first, they were finally off of the phone.

Mercy looked down at her phone after she had hung up and looked around, her face back to its usually dark demeanor. It had been a long time since she had felt anything other than sadness and anger. Sometimes she just didn't feel anything at all unless it was a negative feeling. Her theory was that as she became older, saw those people around her that she loved die, that the ability to feel happy things was removed from her. It was easier to remember the things that hurt rather than the things that lifted her up. Maybe it was because she thought her soul was dead. It's not like she had a vampire teacher to help her understand this after life she had. She sighed, realizing she would have to play at being happy and enjoy his company. Markus wasn't a bad guy, he was really charming, but she just didn't have it in her anymore to entertain the idea of having a date. It wasn't the fact that he wasn't a werewolf either, she had been with one before and he was a wonderful person. Well, he was a great person until he changed. Mercy thought back on the men she had once loved, there were only two in her life and she missed her first love dearly. She sighed again and began to prepare for her dinner date.

[I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I have more that needs to be written and I hope you will continue to follow along with me as it develops! Let's see how this dinner date turns out for Markus and Mercy. Will Dean and Sam have to intervene? Find out in chapter 4!]


	4. Chapter 4 - Deadly Dates

Sam was sitting in the corner of the nice room they were in, his foot was sitting on his knee leaving his leg partially crossed. He had his laptop in front of him as he sat in the comfortable armchair.

"Who would have sent that letter?" He questioned to no one in particular.

Dean was sitting on the end of the bed cleaning his gun, his eyes intent on what he was doing.

"There's no telling." He muttered back as he checked the barrel of his gun.

Sam shook his head, his brother was no help, but he knew that Dean was thinking about it in his own way. He began to run the information about Mercy through his mind. They knew that she made her living by appraising supernatural artifacts and that she has lived for over one-hundred years, at least. But, what else did they know about her? She had a longer story to tell and he knew that. She only talked about the first twenty-five years of her own life, but what about her eternity so far?

"Dean, I feel like she hasn't told us something." He said as he closed his laptop and looked over to his brother.

Dean was just staring down at his gun now, the gears in his head were turning and Sam could see that.

She had to have had something go wrong in her life that has caused some sort of retaliation against her.

"Someone wants her taken care of." He muttered as he looked over his gun once more. There had to be more of an explanation and he was going to find out.

"If we're going to be involved in this, I need more information. I'm not going to risk our necks for some vampire who created her own problems." Dean said harshly, getting tired of being in this small town with no other leads than some vampire chick who is acting all high and mighty as if she owned the town. "I need something." He stood after putting his gun back together and putting it at the small of his back.

"Well, don't go doing anything stupid." Sam called after him as he watched his brother leave the room.

Dean threw on his jacket and walked down the street, his hands tucked neatly in his pocket. He soon noticed their favorite undead woman and followed after her. She was wearing a pair of bellbottom jeans, a bell sleeved shirt, as well as a pair of wedges and a sun hat. Mercy was often seen around town, day and night, but she was always covered up as much as she could be. Even if the sun was something she could be in, she felt nothing but the burning of her skin if she was out too long without being covered. Mercy quickly caught Dean's scent, but she didn't let on that she knew he was there. He continued to trail after her, leaving a distance between them so as not to give himself away. He seemed to forget that once a vampire catches someone's scent they can track it for life. Mercy turned the corner and walked into the local butcher, her white teeth revealed as she smiled at the butcher.

"Hello there, Markus." She greeted cheerily. It was always a good day when she was out shopping, she usually received a fresh stock of blood. "The usual please."

"Why, of course!" He said happily as he began to pull meat from the glass case and pack it up for her. He moved to the back room and brought a few wine bottles filled with a dark liquid and bagged those up for her as well.

Dean watched wearily through the window, realizing this was the man that was supplying her with her blood. Was she having him do her dirty work or was it animal blood? He would need to ask him a few questions.

"By the way, there is a hunter out there watching what we are doing right now. If he has any questions, just answer them honestly. I don't want anything happening to you on account of a misunderstanding." Mercy said as she paid for her groceries and left, giving the butcher a little wave as she walked out the door. Markus looked over toward the window and saw a man walking toward the door while watching Mercy walk out. She tried to make her time in the sun as short as she could, so she headed directly for her home.

"How can I help you today?" Markus asked, his blue eyes focused on Dean.

Dean approached and saw the man a little more clearly now, the lettering on the windows and Mercy had blocked his view of him previously. He had thick dark hair and a clean shaven face - he looked like an upstanding citizen.

"I was just wondering about the young woman who was in here a few minutes ago." Dean answered as he approached the counter by the register.

"Ah, she said someone would come around asking questions." Markus started as he leaned against the counter. "What do you want to know?"

Dean looked perplexed for a moment and then it was like someone had turned on a light in his brain. She obviously knew he was following her, he should have known better.

"Well, I saw you giving her a supply of blood. Where does it come from?"

"That's animal blood. We get animals in that we slaughter for people and the blood would generally go to waste. We have a vampire in town who is more than willing to take care of that for us though."

"So, you know she's a vampire, then?"

"Yeah. We have all kinds of strange people here in town. But, most everyone here is harmless."

"So, no one is out killing people or anything like that?"

"Well, no. Not that I've noticed anyway. The people in this town come here to get away from life in the rest of the world, they try to live as peacefully as they can."

"But, you all still have problems from time to time, don't you?"

"It has been some time since we had any issues here. The people here are usually pretty quick to take care of it. We like our peace and quiet."

"I see." Dean said, still a little baffled by how a town like this could exist.

"We haven't seen any hunters here for business in awhile. Well, not for hunting type business anyway. They come in from time to time to ask about different objects and such, but that's about it." Markus soon added as he noticed Dean's expression.

"Well, thanks for the cooperation." He said, tapping the counter with his fingers for a moment before turning to leave. He made it half way to the door before he turned and looked at the butcher, who had yet to take his eyes off Dean.

"So, are you human or…?" He trailed off. Markus merely smiled and looked down a moment. Dean could tell that the man was debating whether or not to tell him.

"I'm a lycanthrope, but I haven't harmed a soul in awhile." He said with a smile on his face. Dean felt that there was something else to this man, but he simply nodded his head and left.

After Dean had left his shop, Markus's face dropped into a grimace and his eyes were less cheerful. He walked to the back and growled under his breath. He disliked hunters, but he disliked vampires even more. He hated serving some of the people here, but he just had to wait a little longer before he made his move. He paced back and forth for a moment before walking to the front door, flipping the sign from "open" to "closed". Markus walked into the back room and to his office, a little more agitated than usual. The sight of hunters and vampires being in so much contact with one another annoyed him, Mercy talking to him like she owned the place angered him. She needed to be taught a lesson.

Markus wasn't always this way. As a natural werewolf, he was born into a family of werewolves who have been around for generations. They kept to themselves for a long time, until one of his relatives was murdered by a vampire. His family was a pack and they were always together. Every time they told stories, there was one story that always came up and it was to teach the children the family history, but it was also to teach them to hate vampires. At least, to hate a very specific vampire. Markus was more loving toward everyone when he was younger, until he heard this story over and over again. Markus's great uncle had a few children, but one was particularly loved by his father. They entered into their twenties and his father was beginning to settle down with a family while some of the other young ones were traveling, learning about the world and finding mates for themselves as well. His father's cousin fell in love with a woman who had been alive for quite sometime, turns out she was a vampire. The story he was told ended in tragedy - his father's beloved cousin was killed by this vampire for no reason other than she wanted him dead. She was done with him and had no use for him anymore. This story taught him that no one could be trusted, that he needed to hate those different than him and he has never been told differently. Markus's siblings and parents felt the same way as well. He decided, instead of finding a mate, that he would hunt down the woman responsible. His family told him this vampire was named Mercy, it was a name they would never forget because she had no mercy on their family.

Markus had kept this all quiet, acting as if he were a perfect member of the community. He made "friends" and even associated himself with Mercy as closely as he could. One day his plan will come to fruition and should lead to the death of the vampire.

"That note should have worked. Most hunters would come in here, kill monsters, and leave. They haven't done that." He growled angrily, his fists clenched until his knuckles were white. He had sent out the tip about a vampire in town that was harming the residents. How could he have known they weren't going to be the shoot first, ask questions later types.

What Markus told Dean was entirely true, every word of it. He even revealed that he wasn't human himself and all the hunter did was turn and walk off. That was something that was bothering him.

He had started throwing stuff around his office, sweeping his arms over his desk and pushing everything off as hard as he could. Markus stopped and breathed heavily for a moment, deciding tonight needed to be the night that he worked to destroy everything Mercy was or would ever be.

After taking a few deep breathes and straightening himself up again, he sat down and picked up his phone. Markus hesitated a few moments and then dialed Mercy's number. They had known each other for several years and he acted as if he had fancied her in some way. She answered the phone after looking at the number for a moment, finally remembering who it belonged to.

"Hello?" She said in as nice a voice as she could muster.

"Hi, Mercy!" He said, playing as if he were happy.

"Oh, hi there, Markus. How can I help you?" She asked as she put her groceries away.

"I was wondering, if…" He trailed off, acting as if he were nervous to ask. "If, well, maybe you and I could have dinner this evening? Just us. Together."

Mercy was really good at acting these days. She gave a small giggle over the phone as if she were somewhat excited about the thought.

"Of course! Why don't you come to the house? We can cook together." She said.

"Sounds great!" Markus replied as if he were excited by her answer. After a moment of chatter back and forth about who would hang up first, they were finally off of the phone.

Mercy looked down at her phone after she had hung up and looked around, her face back to its usually dark demeanor. It had been a long time since she had felt anything other than sadness and anger. Sometimes she just didn't feel anything at all unless it was a negative feeling. Her theory was that as she became older, saw those people around her that she loved die, that the ability to feel happy things was removed from her. It was easier to remember the things that hurt rather than the things that lifted her up. Maybe it was because she thought her soul was dead. It's not like she had a vampire teacher to help her understand this after life she had. She sighed, realizing she would have to play at being happy and enjoy his company. Markus wasn't a bad guy, he was really charming, but she just didn't have it in her anymore to entertain the idea of having a date. It wasn't the fact that he wasn't a werewolf either, she had been with one before and he was a wonderful person. Well, he was a great person until he changed. Mercy thought back on the men she had once loved, there were only two in her life and she missed her first love dearly. She sighed again and began to prepare for her dinner date.

Some time later, the doorbell rang through the old house and Mercy made her way to the door to find Markus waiting there looking charmingly nervous. "

"Come in, Markus." She said with a smile on her face - she had become a good actor in the years she lived. He walked in and looked around her home, it was nice. It was better than what he had and this realization just seemed to fuel his anger even more, but he didn't let it show.

"Thank you for having me over." He said as they both walked toward the dining room where dinner was ready and waiting.

Mercy, when she had company, still consumed regular food to keep up appearances. She didn't need meat or vegetables to survive, but she wanted to look somewhat normal. Although, she wasn't doing this to look normal in front of Markus, she knew what he was. She also knew that he probably wouldn't be to keen on drinking blood for dinner. Werewolves were carnivorous.

Markus went and pulled out a chair for Mercy at the table and then sat next to her.

"I'm glad we could make time to do this. It doesn't happen often." Mercy soon chimed as she poured herself a glasses of wine for both of them.

"No, it doesn't." He said as he raised his glass in appreciation and then sipped at it. His plan was forming in his head as he sat there. Markus had a small vial of dead man's blood in his pocket, as well as a knife hidden away.

"I forgot something in the kitchen." Mercy noted as she began to stand, but he put a hand out to stop her.

"I can get. What do you need?" He asked as he stood.

"Just a knife for the bread."

He smiled and walked off toward the kitchen, this was the perfect moment. Markus slipped the knife from the waist of his pants and the vial from his pocket. He poured the dark, sticky liquid over the blade and left the vial on the counter. Mercy had obviously become to comfortable around Markus, hardly noticing the smell of the blood as she began to serve food onto the plates she had set out, her back to him. He quickly approached and thrust the knife into her lower back, she let out a gasp of surprise and swung around to face him.

"What are you doing?!" She growled, her vampiric teeth sliding out quickly. She barely had time to react any further when she began to feel weak, the world began to turn on its side as she fell to the floor. It felt as if she were in slow motion, her vision becoming distorted.

Markus slowly walked around to her, the friendly face of his becoming distorted with his pent up rage.

"Do you really think that a vampire and a werewolf could ever work out?" He asked, his voice dark and full of contempt. Her mind was moving at a snails pace, nothing she thought to say was coming from her mouth. All Mercy could do was listen as she sat helplessly on the floor.

"Really, Mercy, I thought you would be more intelligent than this. Did you not realize who I was?"

She looked at him as if she were trying to understand him.

"What?" She asked, just barely getting the word out.

Markus simply laughed as he slowly walked around her, his eyes fixated on her. He lashed out and kicked her the rest of the way to the floor. She groaned as she hit the floor, the knife sticking from her back. She was moving so slowly, her body was shutting down from the poison that was running through her.

"You were with a werewolf one time, supposedly loved him." Markus worked to remind her. She kept her forehead to the wooden floor as she thought, but her mind was becoming foggy.

"Joshua. That was his name. Don't tell me you forgot about him." He growled as he grabbed her by the hair. She was unable to react, soon falling unconscious.

Markus had moved her body to a chair and tied her tightly to it, then began to wait, leaning up against the dining room table.

Mercy began to stir, her head was rolling back and forth for a moment before she finally lifted it. She felt heavy, as if she had been filled with lead.

"Oh, look, sleep beauty wakes." He hissed as he eyed her.

"What do you want?" She said, her voice hoarse.

"Do you remember Joshua?" He asked as he held the knife he had stabbed her with. He had apparently removed it before moving her.

"Yes. Joshua was someone I loved, I wouldn't forget him."

"I think you're a liar. You killed him." Markus sneered as he bent down to meet her eye to eye.

"I wonder what story you heard." She said as she began to try to wiggle her wrists out of their bindings.

"The story I heard was that you loved him, became tired of him, and killed him."

"That's the lie." She responded with confidence in her tone, her head lifted high even though she knew she might be facing her last day on Earth.

"Please. Enlighten me."

"Joshua traveled a lot, seeing the world and trying to find someone to live his life with. He never expected to find a vampire to love and I never expected a werewolf. We were in love."

He held up a hand and stopped her right there.

"If you loved him, he would still be alive."

She just stared at Markus for a moment trying to adjust herself in her seat the best she could. He didn't want to hear her side and she knew it, but she would continue on.

"When you love someone, you've got to let them go. He and I were happy feeding off animals, until one day he ended up consuming a human heart. He wasn't the same after that. Joshua became different. He was mean, vicious, and wild. I couldn't let him continue on living that way, he was hurting too many people."

"NO!" He yelled as he hit her across the face. "I don't believe you!"

Markus began to pace back and forth, his face twisted in rage. He had not poured all the blood he had onto the blade and stormed back to the kitchen to grab the vial. Mercy was still weak from the original dose of blood and she knew she couldn't escape even if she were to get free.

"That's the truth. Believe whatever you want, but I didn't kill him just because I wanted to. I loved him." She said almost as if she were trying to plead with him or to stall for some time so she could figure out what she could do. He clenched his teeth and stared at her for a moment. Markus was trying to decide on what he wanted to do next.

Mercy struggled against the bindings that kept her held to the chair, but there was little room to move.

"I have an idea." He chimed as if happy with himself, tapping the vial with one of his fingers. He had a dark look in his eyes that led her to believe he was just going to kill her on the spot, but then there was something else. Markus began to change, to transform into his more beastly self. Since he was a natural werewolf he could do this at will, Mercy knew that and she knew what might happen next.

"You won't feed on me." She said trying to sound confident, but she really wasn't sure of herself at the time. Markus's yellow eyes focused in on her, a guttural growl poured through his clenched teeth as he approached the chair she was fastened to.

Dean had decided to go for a walk that evening to clear his head. He had an odd feeling about the butcher, but he couldn't place it. It left him feeling as if he were off his game. He stopped walking and stood in the square letting the cool night air brush against his face. There were several nights lately where Dean just needed a little fresh air, he felt like he was getting too old for all of this. So many things had happened to them lately and he wanted a break. Maybe this was there break, maybe nothing would happen here in Meredith. He could only hope it was all some prank. The more he stood there, the more he realized he wanted a drink and someone to talk to that wasn't his brother. Sam had a tendency to have plenty of chick flick moments with everything going on.

"I wonder if Mercy wouldn't mind a drink." He muttered to himself as he turned to head toward her home. "Now I'm having drinks with vampires. Huh. Weird."

Dean stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to walk toward her home. He had gotten most of the way up the foot path to her porch when he heard screaming from inside, the hair on his arms began to stand on end as he pulled his gun from the small of his back.

Dean ran quickly, but quietly, the rest of the way to her home and noticed the lights on. Nothing looked like it happened outside, but he quickly noticed the silhouettes of two figures through the windows and they looked like they were struggling.

"Great." He grumbled as he ran up the porch and burst through the door to find Mercy being attacked by Markus. She fought back as best she could, he had managed to force more dead man's blood into her system and she was struggling to stay on her feet. Mercy was thrown on the floor once more before Dean had the chance to react. She hardly had the strength to stand when she suddenly notice Dean launch himself into Markus, who was taken completely by surprise. The two of them struggled to overcome the other while rolling about on her floor, blood smearing across it as they fought. Mercy brought herself to her feet with the help of her furniture and zigzagged her way into the kitchen. She reached the china cabinet as quickly as she could and thrust a drawer open revealing silver cutlery.

"I think this will do." She muttered weakly to herself as she wandered back to the den where the fight continued. Dean had been slammed onto her glass coffee table by now and it left shattered glass all over the floor.

"Stop!" She shouted as she stood there with the knife in her hand. Both Dean and Markus stopped to look directly at her, there was a level of hate in her eyes that they both knew was for Markus.

"You come in her, try to wine and dine and kill me, and then you mess up my house." Mercy said as she waved the knife around, Markus couldn't take his eyes off the silver - he didn't know she would have something like that.

She moved quickly toward Markus and had the knife held tightly, ready to thrust it through him. He dodged and received a small cut from the blade on his arm. Mercy stumbled past him and he jumped on her again, knocking the knife from her hand. She felt the floor, damp with blood from all three of them, against her back as he sat on top of her with a clawed hand around her throat. The claws dug into her neck as he squeezed it tighter and tighter, his other hand raised in the air as if he were going to thrust it down into her chest. Suddenly, Markus' eyes widened and his mouth fell open with labored breath coming from it. He hunched forward slightly and Mercy could see Dean just over his shoulder, he had thrust the knife quickly into Markus. It was like cutting through butter. Dean's hope for a small vacation quickly left him that night, but he realized that there was satisfaction in knowing that he had saved another life.

Markus fell sideways to the floor as he reverted back to his human form and died. Mercy lay on the floor, clearly taking a moment to bask in the relief she felt flowing through her at that moment. She looked at Dean, she was very surprised that he just happened to come at the right time. A hunter had saved her. That wasn't likely to happen again.


	5. Chapter 5 - Finale

Dean threw himself down into a nearby arm chair and let his arms hang down at his sides. Mercy sat up and looked at the mess around her.

"I have to clean this up now." She said with almost no emotion to her voice. The smell of the blood was beginning to cause her hunger pangs. Having tasted human blood before, this left her in an unfortunate situation. She could easily turn against Dean if she so desired, especially with the amount of rage she had pushed down deep inside of her. Mercy was always capable of repressing her emotions, having developed this gift over time. It was something all vampires should develop, but she knew many let their rage lead to murderous rampages that ended in their deaths.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dean said, leaning forward and waving his hands. His brow was furrowed and he was looking at her as if she were an idiot.

"You were just attacked by a werewolf, I think you deserve a moment to chill out."

Mercy looked at him, her eyes wide and focused intently on him.

"I was tricked, held hostage, attacked, then rescued. That is the concise list of events that I have experienced this evening." She noted as she looked around at the mess once again.

"Why would you let a turned werewolf into your house in the first place?" Dean questioned.

"He and I were having dinner, then he revealed himself to be a little more interested in killing me rather than dining with me." She said, a slight sound of disappointment in her tone. Mercy didn't have any feelings for Markus, but they could have developed if he had not tried to end her life. She couldn't blame him though, he had obviously been told lies about what happened with Joshua. She sighed and continued to sit on the floor for a minute. Dean stood from the chair and extended a hand down to her. She looked at him for a moment and then accepted his, removing herself from the stained carpet.

"Thank you, though." She added after a few moments of standing there awkwardly.

"I guess we solved the mystery of who was out to get me." She shrugged and walked out of the room without another word.

Dean chuckled a little and then stood there looking around her living room. This place looked so nice and now it was permanently transformed for him - it wasn't just a place they met now, it was a place of disaster and pain. A warm trickle ran down the side of his face and he was soon snapped back into reality, noticing that there was a cut near his temple. He most likely acquired him from hitting the coffee table. He walked off to the kitchen to find a towel to wipe up the blood only to find Mercy sitting on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest and a glass bottle sitting loosely in one hand.

"So, you do feel something after this whole ordeal." He noted as he pulled the towel from the fridge handle and held it up to his head.

"Well, considering the fact that I was once human too, I do have feelings. One of those being hunger." She said right before sipping at the bottle again, the thick cold liquid satisfying her hunger for the time being.

Dean stopped for a moment, realizing what she was talking about. It had not crossed his mind that he was speaking with a vampire rather than another relatively normal person. He removed the towel and looked at the blood now staining it.

"I shouldn't have said that." He said as he held the towel back to his head again.

"It's fine. I don't have a lot of feelings anymore, so I don't really have much to rely on in regards to having non-awkward conversations these days." She responded with a monotone voice. "I appreciate what you did. You may want to go get cleaned up. I would help, but…"

There was more silence between the two of them. Mercy wanted to help, but she knew there were limitations to doing so. When there was blood, she couldn't do anything to help.

"I'll go then. Sam might be wondering where I am by now." Dean replied, trying to think of something better to say than that, but he had nothing. He was always so charming and knew everything to say to a woman, but what should he say to a vampire? Was a female vampire that different from a human female? He simply sighed and glanced back at her for a moment, trying to think of something to comfort her before he left. Nothing came to him. Dean left without another word, taking his battered self back to the inn.

"What happened?!" Sam quickly asked in shock as his brother walked through the door. Dean was a mess. His hair and clothing were disheveled and his clothing had blood stains on it. His knuckles were reddened and he was bleeding from the side of his head still.

"Werewolf. Think I need stitches." He said simply as he pointed to his temple.

"So, you went hunting a werewolf and didn't tell me?" Sam asked as he pulled out the first aid kit from his bag and moving toward his beaten brother. "Did you at least kill it?!"

"I didn't go hunting a werewolf, Sam." Dean said feeling somewhat offended. "I was going to up to Mercy's place when I heard her screaming."

Sam sat down on the edge of his own bed and looked at Dean.

"Why were you going there?"

"Does it matter? I got there, she was in trouble, so I helped. Simple as that."

He snatched up some stuff to stitch up his head wound and walked off toward the bathroom. This would be a tender place to try to stitch up, he had plenty of wounds to know that first hand.

Sam could hear him groaning on and off from the bathroom, it was never something they looked forward to having to do, but it was not like they could just go to the hospital for this type of thing.

Dean had finished and just sat in the silence of the bathroom for awhile. There was plenty of blood on the sink from where he had stitched himself up and he began to wash it out as best he could.

Sam sat on the end of his bed flipping through the channels on the small television when he heard a light knock at the door. He wasn't sure who would be visiting them at this hour of the night, so he put his hand on his gun and opened the door a bit.

"Oh, hey." He said, slightly confused, once he saw Mercy standing at the door. "Come in."

Mercy walked through the door past the tallest brother and looked around at the small room.

"I just wanted to come by and thank Dean again."

Dean could hear her voice through the door and he turned toward it to listen.

"I heard about what happened. Are you okay?" Sam asked as he pulled out a chair for her to sit, which she politely declined.

"I'm a vampire, of course I'm fine." She said, but Sam had hardly believed it. Mercy could play it off all she wanted, but being attacked was something that effected people more than they would like to admit and Sam knew that. All of the things that happened to himself and Dean were things that changed them as well.

Dean listened to them through the door, still taking a moment to himself. There were times people just needed a moment to breathe and this was one of them. He took one last look in the mirror and then straightened up, giving himself a charming smile before leaving.

"Hey, Sammy-" He called, looking over to Mercy as he walked through the door. "Oh, Mercy. How are you doing?" Dean was playing as if he hadn't heard a word of their conversation.

"Fine." She said as she looked to Dean. There were no obvious wounds on her anymore, it had all healed nicely. "I just wanted to say thank you for what you did."

"It's what we do." Dean responded, it wasn't out of the normal for them anyway, he just happened to be around at the time.

"Well, I am grateful. If you had been any other hunter, Markus and I would both be dead. So, whether it's what you do regularly or not, it still doesn't change how I feel about it."

Sam looked over to Dean and then back to Mercy, realizing that this was a moment in time where they had a new ally. He imagined not many people cared for those like her, he knew they had once been that way. The two of them used to view the world as black and white, monsters had to be killed and people saved, that was that. Now, the two of them constantly questioned whether that was really the case. The things they hunted were once human too and some of them retained that part of themselves.

"Mercy, can I ask you a couple questions?" Sam chimed in after a moment. He wanted to understand her a little more.

"Anything." She said, still looking at Dean before going and sitting down. At times she would still glance his way, focusing on him as if she were trying to remember his face.

"As a vampire, do you feel human still or…?" Sam trailed off.

"I maintained my humanity for a long time. But, for me, I am losing parts of myself as the years stretch on."

"What do you mean?"

Dean was looking on, just taking everything in. He did happen to notice that Mercy continued to glance at him every so often.

"I used to feel more. When I was turned, I felt all the bad emotions along with the good. As I have gotten older and farther from my first life, I am losing the good emotions. I feel more empty. I have forgotten love, happiness, joy. I really only have darker memories left and I feel a little more like a creature, a predator these days."

"So, that's why you reacted the way you did after Markus was killed?" Dean asked, looking at her as if trying to understand.

"Yes. I don't want to put anyone in danger. I don't want to be like the vampires that killed my family or the ones that I hunted. I didn't want to hurt you."

"Speaking of Dean," Sam started, "you keep glancing at him like you have met him before. Why?"

Mercy looked directly at Sam for a moment and thought about answering. She did not mean to look at him so often, but she almost couldn't help herself.

Dean looked at Mercy curiously, he did notice that she kept glancing at him. He thought it was because he was like a hot piece of apple pie, delicious to look at.

"I knew someone from your family a long time ago and he looks like him." Mercy said hesitantly.

"Who did you know? We don't even know much about them." Sam stated.

"I knew one of the Winchesters when I was a child. We had contact on and off after the Meredith incident."

Sam thought back to the story she had told them when they were at her home. He was trying to remember all the details and then realized something - she told them about someone she had loved.

"What was his name?" Sam asked, feeling like he was beginning to connect the dots. "You told us there was a man that you had loved, he ended up dying. What was his name?"

Mercy let them sit in silence for a minute as she debated telling them. Was it really that important? She began to think that they deserved to know.

"Jonathan Winchester." She sighed as she looked at the floor.

Dean and Sam glanced at one another and then back to Mercy. She felt like they might hate her for what happened now that they knew one of their ancestors was someone she had killed. The two brothers sat in silence for a moment.

"Jonathan was a great man. He really was and I miss him." Mercy continued. "I can't help looking at you because you're the modern version of him. When I first saw the two of you, I knew you were Winchesters and I was trying to keep away from you, but you ended up coming to me instead."

She stood from her seat and began to walk toward the door to leave, but she stopped and face them again.

"Thank you again. If you need anything…" Mercy pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to Sam. "You can just contact me. You're always welcome to come back to Meredith as well."

She gave a weak smile and walked out the door. Sam flipped the card around in his hand to look at it, then handed it over to Dean who eyed for it for a moment as well before sliding it into his wallet.

The next morning the brothers left town for another job.

((Thank you for reading this short story. I will be writing another one shortly as a separate story. If you liked Mercy Cole, and want to know more about her, she will be back in future stories! Thanks for reading!))


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